The "Y" according to Miss E...

Well, today was the first attempt to make good on the new "Y" membership. I looked at the schedule and found a Cardio Sculpt class at 10:15 and found out the pool had open swim time in the small pool from 9-11. Perfect!

Last night I packed swim suits, towels, shampoo, brush, extra clothes, detangling hairspray, and whatever else seemed like a good thing to have a the gym and/or pool and I was ready to go. R got off fairly easily this morning -- after a few tears about missing out on the visit to the "Y" and about the fact that she didn't have the change from yesterday's $5 bill for lunch (lunch is $2.25 and I could not convince her that her teacher would still have the money if she took the $5 from R yesterday!). I finally sent her off with additional money but with instructions that she needed to first ask the teacher about her "missing" change.

As soon as R was on the bus I herded the other two into the car and we were off to the "Y"! First stop - mug shot. I had to get my official membership card. In my haste to leave the house I had showered but didn't bother to "fix" my hair since our first stop was the pool, so the picture could have been better but what do I care - seriously? It's not like I'm hoping to get a hot date through match.baggage match.com using that, or any, picture. And, honestly, it will be a closer representation to my true self at the club - well, minus the sweat stains and the flushed cheeks - and make it easier for the childcare staff to find me in a line-up yoga class.

Once that task was completed and I was officially signed in I led the girls to the locker room to change into swim gear and shower off before heading for the pool. We had a nice 1/2 hour swim time in a very warm (average temp is listed at 92 degrees!) pool that is 3 feet deep at one end and 4 feet at the other. It's the pool where A will have her swimming lessons and where some of the water aerobics classes take place. The girls loved playing in the water and I loved that they have water toys and floatation devices available for general use...not that E would have anything to do with having floaties strapped to her chest, but that's another matter.

We got out of the pool in plenty of time for me to get us all changed and ready to go to the childcare room to scope things out before my 10:15 class. Once in the room, both A and E began exploring and I filled out the necessary paperwork and got them signed in. I thought it was a lucky thing that they were doing some outdoor play on the playground when we arrived because I figured both A and E would enjoy the equipment and sandbox. So, I led them outside to where the other kids were playing and quietly made my exit. I was looking forward to my hour of kid-free exercise time.

Ha.

I think I need to have Miss E listen to more of the Village People because she was not too thrilled once she realized that mom was nowhere to be seen. I had enough time to take a drink of water from my bottle and set up my area the same way the teacher had her stuff set up - step on an incline, exercise ball, and 3- and 5-pound weights. As soon as she announced the start of warm-up ("Let's march it out") a head poked in the doorway to call me back to the childcare room which was right across the hall.

Sigh.

I go back to find E a complete wreck screaming as if they had been trying to pull her fingernails out one by one. She stopped immediately when she saw me and proceeded to have that labored, hiccough-y breathing for the next few minutes. She was having NO part of this childcare gig and she did not feel that it was "fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A"! The staff reported that A had done her best to comfort E and make her feel more at ease (she is such a sweet and sensitive big sister and it made my heart swell to hear how she had tried her best to calm E down). I tried to get E interested in the sandbox, chalk, the big balls...anything. But, as soon as I was out of sight she had a complete and utter meltdown. I brought her back inside and tried snack but every time I moved away to check out something in the room she fell apart. I ended up staying in the childcare area with her for about 45 minutes hoping that she would start to feel more comfortable. She did do some exploring towards the end but she was not OK if I was more than 3 feet away. A, on the other hand, had a ball and when I announced it was time to go she was upset but she fell in line and went over to say good-bye to her "three new friends" and I promised we'd be back again to play soon.

I am going to have to take it slow with E. She is not going to fall easily into this situation as I had hoped. I don't recall having huge separation anxiety issues with R and A. Perhaps they did at around this age (22 months) but I don't recall it being severe or long-lasting. Either that, or childbirth and dealing with young children 24/7 for the last 7.5 years has completely messed with my memory and recall abilities and I am just unable to dredge those thoughts from the recesses of my cobwebby brain. Either way, I'm going to have to find a way to deal with this and hope that a few more sessions of playtime with mommy at the "Y" will make E realize that the staff and kids in the childcare are not going to bite, that the toys and the play area are actually a fun treat and that mommy doesn't just disappear - she will return sooner or later looking much the same as she did when she left...only sweatier and more flushed.

Savvy, Self-assured and in Second Grade!

It was a very easy send-off this morning for R - she is just so much more confident and at ease. We usually have a stressful week leading up to the start of school - more meltdowns, fits, and arguments. This year seemed a bit less traumatic. R did shed some tears at the thought of summer coming to an end and she seemed a tiny bit stressed upon hearing that she would not have the same teacher as last year, but on the whole things went fairly smoothly. The only thing that really stayed the same was the increase in the fighting between R and A this past week. A is ticked off that R gets to start school a week earlier than she does and that R gets to ride the bus. So, she has been difficult to deal with and it has rubbed off on R a bit (can't say as I blame her, though!). Although I had previously been lamenting the end of the summer this week was enough to make me more than happy that the first day of school has arrived.

This morning I went on my walk with Lauri and we got back just before 7am. To my great surprise the older two girls were awake and fully dressed. Can you say "first day of school excitement"? R had picked out her entire outfit last night per my instructions so we would not have any issues this morning picking out just what to wear. We had also made sure her shiny new backpack had lunch money in it and she put a few pencils in her new pencil case.

After breakfast I got showered and dressed and the girls worked on their newest fuzzy art posters for a few minutes. I got R's hair brushed and she went to put on her snazzy new sneaks. I had bought her tie shoes this year because she liked them but I wondered after almost a year of only velcro if she'd do OK with tying them. But, she proved that tying shoes is a bit like riding a bike and she did just fine getting them on and tied into double knots. A proud mommy moment!

Once she was geared up we headed outside for the usual photo op session and the traditional "picking of the brown-eyed susans for the teacher."

My big second grader!


Flowers for Ms. M.


This picture is the epitome of my three:
the fashionista/diva, the cool big kid, and the little imp!



Check out the snazzy new sneaks!


Sisters - big and small...


Barely taking the time to give me one last backward glance. The Savvy, Self-assured 2nd grader takes off for her first day.

It's Fun to Stay at the Y-M-C-A!

Sing it with me now...

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.
Young man, there's a place you can go
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

(Village People)

Today I took the leap and paid for a membership to the local Y! Actually, I signed up the girls for swim classes and in doing so realized that the cost differential to becoming a member and getting membership rates for the swim classes differed by not a whole lot. So, we are now proud, card-carrying, sweatband-wearing members of the YMCA!

Hmmm....

I guess that means I should actually USE said card to get my butt in gear this fall and achieve the results that have been eluding me this summer. I have been backsliding over the course of the last few months to the tune of about 5 pounds. I also know my fitness level has dropped off since May because I have not kept up with the sculpting and aerobic sessions. I have been walking quite a bit some weeks but not so much on other weeks. I am still fitting, mostly, in my clothes but they do feel a bit more snug than they did back in May. And I just don't feel as good as I did back in the spring.

Time to get back on track. Hopefully, the new gym membership will be a good way to get some of that motivation back that I had at the start of the new year. I am going to try to walk in the mornings, per usual, with Lauri and then at least a couple of times a week I hope to hit the gym while R and A are at school. E can come along and spend some play time at the FREE childcare center (what a bonus!). I need to look over the classes schedules and see if any will fit the bill - they have a ton of different styles of workouts which is great. I think having a scheduled class time will help with the follow through and it will be more fun working out with other people rather that in front of the TV screen.

While we were there today getting signed up (which was not a straight-forward process due to the fact that I did not bring a canceled check to sign up for the automatic checking transfer payment method....) we got a tour of the facility and it seems great! Aside from the (free!) childcare rooms, they also have a raquetball court, two studios for fitness classes, two pools, and the usual exercise room with weight machines and various cardio machines. There were plenty of machines and I imagine I won't be waiting to use any of them if I go during weekday mornings. And in the "over 18" locker rooms they also have a sauna and hot tub. Once I get the kids safely checked into child care rooms I can utilize those facilities as well. I might have to visit there more often for some basic R&R as part of my "(mental) health and fitness" regime....

As for the main reason for getting the membership...the swim classes! I had hoped to sign R and A up for classes on the same day at the same time if at all possible. Even back-to-back sessions on the same day would have been okay. However, I was so late in signing up that I ended up with A in a Wednesday afternoon session and R in a Saturday morning session. Sigh. It will be a hectic eight weeks -- but it is only eight weeks -- and perhaps for the second fall session I'll be lucky enough to consolidate their classes into one trip.

Between swim classes and exercise classes, I have a feeling that the Y is going to start to feel like my second home...at least I'll be getting my money's worth!

In the Good Ole Summertime...

**updated to add pics and video link**

Summer is going by so fast.

R and A are bronze-hued and sun-kissed. Though E is still looking like a fair maiden as any part-Irish, not-yet-two-year-old should look.

We have had a couple of trips to the Cape to dig in the sand, frolic in the waves, and soak up the sun.

Early in the summer, just after school let out, we took the kids on the Virginia adventure 2007 which, on the whole, went well. We are, however, considering alternatives for next years "big adventure." In fact, Rick is turning the "big 4-0" next year and his parents are each hitting milestone birthdays so a big ole family trip to somewhere is being discussed.

Other summertime excursions have included road trips to go Geocaching, splashing in rivers, and dips in a friend's pool.

The older girls have had a chance to enjoy some time at camp and they are currently enrolled in swimming classes.

All in all, a good summer. One that I'm sad to see end. The girls are doing so well and we've enjoyed some great times together this summer.




R is growing up so very fast. She is reading at a fast and furious pace. She probably reads faster than I do now and she is taking after her dad and devouring books faster than we can replenish her literary plate...which reminds me - a trip to the library should be on our agenda this week.
Just in the last few weeks I'm finding her to be maturing in leaps and bounds. She is more "even keeled" and able to problem-solve issues with little to no intervention. She still lets A get under her skin at times but yet there are times when she handles formerly tension-fraught moments with ease. I've found her to be, in the past, rather negative and fatalistic when it came to problems or things she merely perceived as insurmountable problems and now she seems to be able to see past that mentality and is finding the solutions. This has reduced stress on so many levels. And I think she is even starting to look forward to second grade...at least for today. She was excited to buy a new backpack and seemed to be looking forward to the new school year. We were wondering together who her teacher will be and who she might have in her classroom - she has one friend in particular from Kindergarten that she is hoping will be with her again this year. If history repeats itself she might begin to show signs of stress as we get closer to the first day of school - but with her newfound maturity maybe it won't even be more than a blip on the radar screen. In other exciting, "R News" - she is turning into quite the fish! The last two evenings at swim class she has managed to figure out and execute a standing dive. Her swimming has improved dramatically as well and she loves to be in the water.



A is on the cusp of 'big girlhood' now that she is nearly five (5?!). The last few months have been a bit rough with A. She has been testing limits and asserting her independence a little bit too much for her own good. She's been reverting to that annoying 2-year-old phase where her favorite word is "no" and she has not been shy about using it. More times than I can count I've had to have the "who's in charge?" discussion with her and it often took asking that question more than once for "Little Miss I'm in Charge" to get the answer right. I've vented at length with Lauri during our morning walks and she has assured me that many kids go through this stage just before they turn five. She doesn't quite know why it happens but it seems to be something to do with that fear of the unknown, cusp of becoming a big kid thing. It also seems to coincide with those months leading up to Kindergarten. I'm so hoping that A is getting this phase out of her system and we don't see it rear it's ugly head again next summer before her big transition to Kindergarten. Being an October baby means she will be starting Kindergarten about month before she turns six. So, she has one more year of preschool and she is looking forward to being one of the "big kids" at school who already knows the ropes. There are six kids in her class who will be returning for their second year of preschool - the rest will all be new students. Unfortunately, last year A befriended many of the kids who are now moving on to Kindergarten so she will have to make new friends this year. Fortunately, I have no concerns about her ability to do so. At the end of year party at school in May all the kids received a certificate from the teachers that highlighted one of their strengths and A's certificate was for "being a friend to all." So true. She is really my social butterfly and the one most likely to make friends no matter where she goes - school, the playground, story time, the library....you name it! So, A is also looking forward to the new school year and all the time she will get to spend with her friends - new and old. She, too, has made leaps and bounds in her swimming skills this year and will now eagerly jump into the pool without holding the teacher's hand. She goes completely underwater and bobs back to the surface and the teacher helps her swim back to the edge. She is so brave!

Check out this video of the two of them at swim class.




And last but not least, my sweet little E. She is just wanting to be one of the big kids so badly! She jumps at the chance to do whatever they are doing - riding...or rather sitting...on a big kid bike, wearing goggles at the pool and attempting to put her face in the water (she is by far my most fearless kid when it comes to the water), helping (well, hindering might be a better choice of word) with setting the table, clean up time and other chores, climbing up the ladder to the tall platform on the playground equipment, etc... Her speech and language skills are exploding and she is putting strings of words together to make her desires quite clear. She can be quite a bossy little thing but also very sweet and thoughtful (she will often say "danku" unprompted, as well as "bess you" when someone sneezes and "cooz me!" when she passes gas...of course she thinks it is hilarious to pass gas and will often try to do so on purpose. Such a delicate and refined little lady). She already loves to accessorize and play dress-up. A is more than happy to help her into a princess costume and tiara and some of E's favorite things are shoes, hats and her Dora sunglasses. And the more shoes, the better, by the way. If we go out shopping and she sees shoes anywhere she is begging and whining for me to take off her shoes so she can try some on. My very own little Imelda. She even has a fascination with trying on other peoples' shoes and will often clomp through the house wearing my sneakers, Rick's boots, or the older girls' flip-flops (which she charmingly calls "bee-bops").

I guess I'm just realizing that they will never be 7-ish, nearly 5-ish and nearly 2-ish again and I'm realizing that as crazy and annoyed as I can sometimes get "in the moment" with all of them that I've really had some wonderful times with them, too. They are growing and changing constantly and although they are exhausting and exasperating and complicated they are also wonderful, amazing and unique. We have more fun times ahead, I'm sure, but right now I'm wanting to hold on to this summer and not let go.

Ok...so maybe there is also a tiny part of me that is looking forward to the start of a new school year when I might be able to carve out a bit more kid-free time during the week... And perhaps my desire to extend those lazy days of summer has a tiny bit to do with the fact that the end of summer means...well...it means that another year has gone full circle for me. When did the milestones turn from celebrations (first steps, riding a two-wheeler, turning 21, first real job) to moments of dread and distaste (first gray hair, another wrinkle laugh line, turning 37 thirty-something) anyway?

I've been tagged...

Not once, but twice....for the same meme.

OK, so here goes:

Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.
The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I like to bake, but not really cook. I think because when you bake you pretty much have to follow the recipe but with cooking there is more experimentation that can happen and I'm not very good at it. I also have a sweet tooth that is fed nicely by my baking habits.

2. I am not very kind to house plants. We have a few that we have had for years that I would call our "iron clad, foolproof" plants, but too many have died under my care that I tend to just stick to the few that we have that seem to have way more than 9 lives.

3. I love sheep. I used to have a collection of sheep - stuffed animals, statues, and the like. But, I've tried to rid my life of many knick knacks so I only have the odd pin in my jewelry box, one very special stuffed animal sheep that my MIL gave me a number of years ago and a cross-stitch project that I did before Rebecca was born that has sheep on it. There is a farm around the corner that has sheep and I smile whenever I drive by and see them. (I was just thinking that perhaps my Patronus would be a sheep!)

4. I love reading, but I don't read as much as I used to (gee...wonder why?). I love nothing better than getting sucked in by a story and getting to know the characters really well. I especially love when I become so engrossed that I think about the book even when I'm not reading it and wonder about the people in the books as though they are real... But when I get that involved I'm alway so sad to say "goodbye" to the characters at the end of the book. Am I just a weird freak or does anyone else know what I mean by that? It doesn't happen often but I love when a book can get to be that obsessive for me.

5. If I drink beer not long after I eat chocolate I get violently ill. It took me a couple of years into college to figure this one out. I don't generally eat chocolate and drink beer at the same time, but it dawned on me that the times I've gotten sick from drinking seemed to be on Halloween when I've had those two substances in close proximity. I don't tend to drink heavily enough for it to be just the alcohol...in fact, I've only ever done that once and it was such an awful experience that I've never had that much to drink again...so my best guess is that I can't eat chocolate and then drink beer or I throw up. I've never attempted to confirm this theory and I don't ever plan to!

6. My undergraduate degree is in Linguistics and Anthropology which is a far cry from what I expected to major in and which was only a stepping stone to what I eventually decided to do for a living. I went to UMass expecting to major in business and actually hoped to go on to do something in "International Buisness" or some such (I wanted to find a way to move back to Denmark something fierce!). But, I was not accepted as a "pre-business" major and then I nearly failed the first pre-requisite (Microeconomics) which led me to abandon any hope of doing anything business related. I delcared my major in my junior year having no idea what I would do once I actually graduated. Then during my senior year I learned about the existence of the "Communication Disorders" department which led to my eventual desire to attend graduate school and become a Speech-Language Pathologist.

7. I hate talking politics and I don't particularly like any politician - nor do I trust them - but my leanings tend to be towards the left of middle on many issues. Which is in stark contrast to my parents' views (as well as most of my siblings). I often wonder how I came to have such a different perspective on life. My parents, however, are convinced that I was "brainwashed" by all those "damn liberal professors" at UMass. So, I try very hard to avoid the subjects of politics and religion (I was raised Catholic and am now a member of a Protestant church - much to my parents chagrin) when with most of my family.

8. I will go gray naturally (and actually I have a pretty good start on that already). I have never colored my hair and I never plan to.

Phew. OK. I finally made it through my list of 8 things. I don't even know if I have 8 friends who blog to tag with this meme!! And the few who I do know have already done this or been tagged. So, if you are reading this and think it would be fun to do - consider yourself tagged and then post a comment or email me to let me know you've blogged this meme yourself so I can go read it!